Lakers Are "Close To A Suitor" For LeBron James, Bulls Linked To Los Angeles

Since winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament in early December, things have spiraled out of control for the Los Angeles Lakers. Carrying a record of 15-9 following their victorious run, the Lakers have since been 9-16 and have slid rapidly out of the playoff picture entirely. According to KTLA Sports Anchor and Reporter David Pingalore, who's reported on LeBron James and the NBA for over a dozen years, the King may be out of Los Angeles. This would effectively break the NBA world if it comes to life, but with how the last month has gone for James and company, it would not be the most surprising development for the 39-year-old.

Validity Check On LeBron Departing Los Angeles

News like this needs to come with verification of source, and seeing a minor beat writer tweet out a jumbled collection of phrases without proper punctuation may not be the best sign regarding the level of truth behind this rumor. However, this same author has tweeted a collection of seemingly random and outlandish tweets at their respective times that have come to fruition within a reasonable time.

While Pingalore may have been on the right track a few times before, he's also had a few significant swings and misses, including reporting that Tom Brady was "HIGHLY likely" to ink a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers when he entered free agency following his days with the New England Patriots. While it may seem like a long shot to be accurate, he's been known to strike gold in the past, especially regarding LeBron James. Keep an eye on the developing story, and take the breaking news with a grain of salt. Here's what he had to say about James's possible move out of Los Angeles.

James tweeted an hourglass emoji tonight and was a late scratch for tonight's nationally televised matchup against the Boston Celtics. During a timeout earlier this week, he was also seen visibly shaking his head in disagreement with his head coach.

Bulls Tied To Lakers

If James were to hit the road, Chicago might be the perfect landing spot. Originally a heavily predicted favorite to land King James in 2010 before going to Miami, now might be the revival of his career in the Windy City. With Bronny James entering the NBA draft either this season or next, LeBron has made it abundantly clear that he'll end up wherever his son is drafted. The Lakers and Bulls have already been linked in many ways this season, including Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, hometown kid DeMar DeRozan, and Andre Drummond.

Seeing James be traded anywhere would shell-shock the entire league, but Chicago has as good a chance as any team. Getting rid of LaVine's lucrative and long-term contract, shipping off DeRozan's expiring contract, and adding in kickers of Drummond or Caruso in exchange for James and draft capital would flip both franchises on their heads. Chicago's got the major market and historic franchise that James aims to represent, and Los Angeles sorely needs to be shaken up before another unsuccessful postseason run.

Is LeBron James headed to a fourth franchise? Will the Bulls and Lakers land a deal that turns heads across the whole NBA, or is this another smoke screen report that will surface to have no backbone behind it?